Transition Advisory Team Named to Address LSU Reorganization

Dr. William Jenkins, Interim President of the LSU System and Interim Chancellor of LSU, has named a ten person Transition Advisory Team to address the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System, it was announced Monday.

Jenkins will present the tea m for approval at the next meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors on December 7. At that time, the Board will provide official instructions to the Transition Advisory Team as the realignment of the LSU System moves forward.

“We are facing an era of tec tonic change in higher education and LSU must be prepared for profound transformation,” Jenkins said. “This team is made up of a select group of individuals with a unique understanding of the LSU System and possessing of the experience and fortitude to id entify the key issues to the Board of Supervisors necessary to make changes of significant proportion.”

The role of the Transition Advisory Team will be to identify and study issues pertaining to realignment that are important to the various components o f the LSU System and explore opportunities related to those issues, then present its findings to the LSU Board of Supervisors.

“This team will be assigned the task of establishing factual information that can be used by the Board of Supervisors in making the ultimate decisions about the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System,” said Jenkins, who will lead the team. “This will be a deliberate and inclusive process aimed at creating a single, globally competitive institution with statewide reach.”

Jenkins said the Transition Advisory Team will appoint unit specific support teams to examine issues and recommend processes for restructuring various administrative areas within the LSU System. Also, the team will use consultants when necessary to form ulate recommendations to the Board of Supervisors.

The proposed Transition Advisory Team consists of the following members:

Dr. William L. Jenkins Interim president of the LSU System and interim chancellor of LSU. Jenkins has served as dean of the L SU School of Veterinary Medicine, LSU’s executive vice chancellor and provost, LSU chancellor, and LSU System president before retiring in 2007.

Clarence P. Cazalot, Jr. Chairman, President and CEO of Marathon Oil Corporation holding that position for ten years. For his lifetime support of LSU, he was presented an honorary doctorate of humane letters by the Board of Supervisors in 2007.

William M. Comegys III A practicing attorney involved primarily in the oil and gas industry. He completed ROTC a t LSU and was commissioned as a lieutenant in the Army in 1971. Comegys is currently the president of the Committee of 100 for Shreveport/Bossier.

Dr. James W. “Jim” Firnberg Chancellor emeritus of LSU Alexandria , President emeritus of Our Lady of the Lake College and an LSU professor emeritus. Dr. Firnberg is a frequent consultant with the National Science Foundation.

G. Lee Griffin – President and CEO of the LSU Foundation. He is the retired chairman and CEO of Bank One of Louisiana, now Chase Bank . He is a member of the LSU Alumni Hall of Distinction and recipient of numerous civic awards for service to the community.

Lt. Gen. Russel L. Honore’ Capped a 37 year career by serving as the commanding general of the U.S. First Army. General Honore ’ was commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, the federal government’s Hurricane Katrina relief effort. He sits on the board of LSU’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute and is an adjunct professor at Emory and Vanderbilt universities.

Dr. Lester W. Johnson Professor and Chief of Surgery and Director of Surgical Services at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – Monroe. Johnson served on the Louisiana Emergency Response Network and Louisiana Recovery Authority Healthcare Taskforce, as well as the Delta Regional Authority’s Health Advisory Committee.

W. Shelby McKenzie Partner with Taylor, Porter, Brooks & Phillips, LLP, and serves as lead counsel for the LSU System. McKenzie has years of experience representing the LSU System on all facets of law, including human resources, admissions, intellectual property, litigation, and many other aspects of law affecting public entities the size and complexity of the System.

William L. “Bill” Silvia Former Executive Vice Presid ent for Finance with the LSU System. Currently, Silvia serves as the president and CEO of the Pennington Medical Foundation and board treasurer for both the LSU Foundation and the LSU System Research & Technology Foundation.

Carroll W. Suggs Served as chairwoman, president and CEO of Petroleum Helicopters Inc., before retiring in 2001. Suggs is a commissioner of the Ernest M. Morial Convention Center and sits on the World War II Museum Board of Trustees. For LSU, she is on the LSU System Research & Tech nology Foundation Board of Directors and LSU College of Engineering Diversity Board.

Jenkins said that Bob Rasmussen, Assistant Vice President for System Relations at LSU, will provide staff support for the Transition Advisory Team. lsu